


Pretty Woman

by mydragulesebastian



Category: Bucky Barnes - Fandom, MCU AU - Fandom
Genre: AU, Bucky Barnes AU, F/M, Movie AU, Movie fic, Steve Rogers AU - Freeform, marvel AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-12-06 11:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydragulesebastian/pseuds/mydragulesebastian
Summary: A very successful, wealthy lawyer, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, hires a beautiful and unlikely prostitute, Gabriella Alvarez, from Sunset Blvd to bring along to various business events for the week. An attraction develops between the two and Bucky finds it harder and harder to let the infectious, kind-hearted Gabriella goTHIS STORY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.





	1. UNO

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean you want to leave? The party’s just getting started!”

Bucky rolled his eyes at Tony, his attorney and his seemingly only friend left. He had just broken up with his girlfriend over the phone minutes ago in the spare bedroom of the gigantic house.

She had claimed that he was way too controlling of her. All he had asked her was to escort him during his trip to which she replied angrily with, “ _You treat me like I’m your beck and call girl! I’m not a hooker, James._ ”

“Please, can I just borrow your car to go back to the hotel?” He looked around the mansion.

Tony huffed as he dug into his pants to look for his keys. “Fine.” He handed them over, “But take care of my car. I want her back in one piece.”

Bucky nodded and ran out of the mansion without looking back. He hopped into the yellow Audi that was parked out front and turned on the car. Bucky held onto the steering wheel in shock at the sound of the roaring engine below him. He hadn’t ever driven a sports car before. And to top it all off, this was Tony’s car; he would kill him if anything happened to it.

Pulling out of the large driveway he made his way down the mountains and into the city of Los Angeles. He got to a red light at an intersection, another car pulling up to him and revving their engine. Bucky looked over at the car full of teenagers and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s race, old man!” One of the kids yelled from the passenger seat.

Bucky looked away from them and straight up at the signal light, waiting for it to flash green. Once it did he went his own way while the other car raced down the opposite side.

“Dammit,” Bucky mumbled to himself.

He should have paid more attention to the driver who took him to the party. Now he was lost in a city he didn’t know with a car that didn’t belong to him. He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped an older man, asking him for directions to his hotel in Beverly Hills. The old man, who was out of his mind due to drugs, joked with Bucky and told him he was already in Beverly Hills as he kicked a garbage bag that was on the curb. Bucky huffed but thanked the man anyway and drove off.

He noticed he was in the city’s red-light district and immediately noticed the drug deals happening in the corner of the streets and prostitutes hanging onto the side of car windows. At the same time Bucky was driving down the boulevard, a younger woman walked along with her best friend, Wanda.

They had made a living off of selling themselves and couldn’t see a life without doing it. But as they walked the streets, Gabriella couldn’t shake the image of the dead prostitute in the alleyway from hours before.

She had snuck out of the grimy apartment building she lived in and out into the night. As she made her way to find Wanda she passed a group of onlookers, camera crews, forensics, and police officers. She heard one of the officers snicker to themselves as their partner made a comment about the prostitute deserving to be killed. Gabriella’s heart beat faster in her chest as she looked down at her ratty knee-high boots and quickly walked away from the scene.

She found herself in a bar that was clouded in smoke and colorful lights. Gabriella spotted Wanda talking to a pimp who promised her nothing but amazing things. She snarled at the sight but walked up to her anyway. Gabriella placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder and turned her around slightly.

“Hey! I was just talking about you to Loki!”

“Great,” she replied sarcastically. “Anyway, Bruce is out and looking for rent money so we gotta work our asses off tonight. I can’t afford to be homeless again.”

“If you let me help you, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting kicked out of anywhere.” Loki interjected.

Gabriella rolled her eyes heavily. “Fuck off, OK? I don’t need your help.”

Wanda looked at both Loki and Gabriella before groaning and taking her hand, dragging her out of the bar. “Really, Gabi?! Loki could’ve been our chance and you had to go and ruin it!”

“I didn’t ruin anything. Have you see all the girls he owns? They can’t even get one person to pick them up because they charge so much all thanks to that tool!”

Wanda looked at her and shrugged. She did have a valid point. They made quite a lot without the help of anyone. The girls walked by two prostitutes fighting over who’s spot in front of one of the sex stores it belonged to. They watched in amusement and then continued their walk up the street to their own spots.

Gabriella leaned up against a tree while Wanda scoped out the night scene. Expensive, shiny cars lined up the streets and every once in a while someone would hop in and disappear further into the city of stars.

Wanda spotted a bright yellow Audi rolling up and she grabbed Gabriella’s elbow, pushing her towards the curb. “Take this one!” She encouraged.

Gabriella huffed and smoothed out her dress that left little to the imagination and fixed her blonde wig. To her surprise, the annoying car stopped right in front of her. She bent down and gasped slightly at the sight of the man inside.

“Hey, sweetie.” She smiled at him.

“Hi,” he nodded. “Do you have any idea how to get to Beverly Hills? I’m kind of lost.”

Gabriella’s face lit up. Of course she did! She knew her way around the city like the back of her hand. She told him how to get there and once she finished giving him directions, the look on his face was one of confusion.

“Tell you what. If you pay me $20, I’ll get you there.”

“Really?” The man’s face lit up.

“Yeah!” She chewed on her minty gum.

“Do you think you could drive the car? I… Can’t figure half of it out. I think I stalled back there,” he pointed behind him with his thumb.

“Sure,” she laughed. “Can’t believe you trust a stranger with your car.”

“Oh! It’s not my car. It’s my attorney’s.”

“Even better!” Gabriella smirked wickedly.

He parked the car and got out of the driver’s seat. She met him halfway around the front and got into the seat he was just in and adjusted the mirrors and such before turning the engine over.

“It’s uh, stick so I don’t know if you need help with that.”

She looked over at him, an eyebrow raised. “What? Because I’m a woman you think I don’t know how to drive stick?”

“No!” His eyes widened. “No, that’s what I meant!”

“For that comment I’m charging you and extra 5.”

With one last look at him she geared into drive and headed down to Beverly Hills. She took shortcuts to avoid traffic and he was genuinely surprised and kind of scared at how fast she was going.

“If you don’t mind me asking; how did you learn how to drive this car?”

“Oh,” she laughed. “I was obsessed with cars when I was younger, thanks to my brothers—so I learned just about everything there is to know about them and I’ve kept up with newer models and such. I like to hang out at 7-11 sometimes and read car magazines.”

She pulled up to the front of the hotel and turned off the car. She handed the keys over to the man and held out her other hand for her money. “Right, right!” He sputtered out before digging into his pants pocket and taking out his wallet to give Gabriella her cash.

“Thanks, uh…” She trailed off as she folded the two bills in half.

“James… Bucky… James…”

“Which one is it?” She teased.

He cleared his throat, “James.”

“I like Bucky more,” she hummed.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Whatever you want it to be.” She learned in close to him.

“No, seriously, what is your name?”

“Gabriella,” she stated. “But you gotta roll the R. And if you can’t do that, then you can just call me Gabi.”

“Gabriella,” he repeated while following her instructions on rolling the R.

She laughed and got out of the sports car. Bucky did the same, meeting up with her on the sidewalk. They both grinned at each other before Gabriella pointed at the bus stop about two blocks away.

“I should get going now,” she chuckled. “It was nice driving you around, James.”

Gabriella walked past the well dressed man and began to make her way through the night. She was never taking Wanda’s suggestion ever again. All she got was $25 and a joyride in an ugly yellow Audi. And the extra $5 would be spent on bus fare. _How convenient._

“Hey, wait!” She heard someone yell.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Bucky waving a hand and walking towards her. Gabriella put on her best face as he got closer. Once he did, she couldn’t believe the words that had come out of his mouth.

“Gabriella, I’d like you to spend the week with me.”


	2. DOS

* * *

 

_What?_

“Are you shitting me?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m being 100% serious. Look, come back to the hotel with me and we can figure this out.”

His blue eyes were soft and sweet, unlike all the other men Gabriella had done business with. She bit down on her lip and he watched her think about it.

“Please. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

“Now we’re talking.” She smacked your lips together. “Show me the way, James.”

Bucky laughed and led her to the fancy hotel. Of course everyone stared. Here she was in a tiny thin dress, with both sides of the material cut out completely. Her fake blonde wig stood out and so did the ratty old boots she had been wearing every night for a year straight.

The elevator doors opened up and Bucky let her in first. Gabriella jumped slightly at the man who was sitting inside the elevator. She had never seen someone press buttons for a living.

“10th floor,” Bucky announced.

The younger man nodded at him before pressing the round button with the number 10 on it. The doors closed and they were left in a sort of awkward position. The elevator music was soft, but the man couldn’t keep his eyes off of Gabriella. Not in the way that most men did, of course. He was just in a state of shock. He had never seen a hooker in such a fancy hotel. Or maybe he had, but they just hadn’t look like Gabriella.

Once the elevator doors opened up, she thanked the younger man who stuttered out a confused thank you. Bucky led her to the door to his suite and once she stepped inside, she marveled at the sigh of the room. It was basically an apartment – and it was definitely bigger than the one she shared with Wanda.

“Holy fuck,” she breathed out. “What do you even do? Please don’t tell me you shit money.”

Bucky smiled. “No, no. I don’t shit money. I’m uh, a lawyer.”

“So then you know this is illegal,” she played with the tasteless gum in her mouth. “Like really illegal.”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Hmm,” she squinted before turning on her heel and walking through the room. She walked into the small kitchen and gave Bucky a look. “You use this at all?”

“Nope. Don’t think I’ve even stepped foot in it since I got here.”

“What a waste of a stove,” she teased.

She walked into the decent sized living room and noticed the flat screen perched up on the wall over what seemed like an electronic fireplace. Gabriella grabbed the remote control from the coffee table in front of the long couch and turned on the television. She hadn’t watched TV in years.

“You hungry?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, a bit.” She turned around and grinned. “What’s for dinner?”

“Uh,” he picked up the room service menu and handed it over to her. “Whatever they’re making downstairs.”

Gabriella didn’t shy away and ordered almost everything off the menu. Bucky was happy to feed her – it looked like she hadn’t had a proper meal in months. When room service arrived, Gabriella grabbed one of the plates and took it with her to the couch. She removed the top of the plate and licked her lips at the sight of the pizza.

Bucky trailed the cart over to the living room and sat down next to her. He watched her stuff her face as she kept her eyes glued to the cartoon on the screen. Every once in a while she would mumble to herself about something on the show and then laugh loudly.

“Have you ever watched SpongeBob before?” Gabriella looked over at him as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“No. Is that what you’re watching? That little yellow cheese block.”

“He’s not a cheese block, James! It’s in the title of the show. Spongebob Squarepants. He’s a sponge.”

“Ohhh,” he hummed. “I thought it was weird that he was living in the ocean.”

She laughed and leaned back into the couch. “Well, anyway, it’s the best cartoon show _ever_.”

“Ever?”

“Ever!”

Bucky smiled at her and watched as she pulled off her wig, revealing long dark brown tresses. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “I hate that thing. It’s so damn itchy.”

He almost reached out and touched her hair himself. But then he remembered that he didn’t know her like that. Although she was very endearing, she was a complete stranger that he was about to hire for the week. She was a prostitute and he was her client. That’s it.

“Do we still have chicken nuggets left?” She questioned.

“Y-yeah. I’ll go and get them.” Bucky stood up from the couch quickly to get his mind off of her. How was she driving him crazy already? This was impossible. Did she do that with everyone? Was she always this charming?

He looked back at her in the midst of a laugh and he felt his heart grow three sizes like he was the Grinch or something. Bucky walked back to her and set the plate down in front of her. She thanked him and picked up a nugget and tossed it into her mouth while she continued to watch SpongeBob.

“I’m going to go and work on some things. You’re more than welcome to stay here and watch TV all night.”

“No.” she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Stay and watch SpongeBob with me. I’m sure you work like crazy all the time. Just stay and relax; laugh a little. I won’t charge you for this. I promise.”

Bucky blinked as he stared into her brown eyes. She was being sincere and although he really wanted to stay and watch the stupid animated show with her, he had to catch up on work. “I can’t. I really can’t, Gabriella.”

“Fine,” Gabriella huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “But you owe me, James.”

“Alright,” he chuckled as he stood up from the comfy couch. “I owe you next time.”

“And we still have to talk about this hiring me for a week thing.”

“How about in the morning? That sound good? We can talk about it before I go to my meeting.”

She narrowed her eyes at Bucky before nodding slowly. “Tomorrow morning.”

He repeated the same thing she said before saying goodnight and leaving her alone in the living room. Every so often he could hear her loud laugh from his room and he would catch himself grinning. It was like music to his ears. That’s when Bucky knew that this would be harder than he thought.


	3. TRES

Gabriella woke up the next day in the biggest, most softest bed she had ever come across in her life. The cream colored heavy curtains were pulled back slightly, letting in the sun rays. She smiled to herself before throwing the fluffy white comforter off her body and getting out of bed, her bare feet softly hit the carpet as she made her way to the bathroom.

She noticed the huge tub in the large bathroom and decided to take a bath. She ran the water and found some soap to use to make bubbles. Gabriella grabbed a white towel from the rack and placed it near the bathtub before undressing and slowly getting into the warm, soapy water.

She sighed and rested her head against the edge of the tub. She played with the bubbles and felt herself relax as time passed. Gabriella started to get bored so she quickly stepped out of the bathtub, wrapped the towel around her wet body and went searching for one of those bluetooth speakers in the room. Once she found it, she unplugged it from the wall, grabbed her cracked iPhone from her purse and ran back to the bathroom where she set it up and played music off of it.

Bucky was making his way back to the room after a surprise meeting. He walked in on Gabriella before he left to let her know that he was leaving for a bit but she was still fast asleep. Bucky smiled to himself and decided that he'd call the hotel room if he really needed to.

He nodded at the same young kid in the elevator from last time and rode up with him to his floor. Bucky tipped the young man before stepping out and walking to his temporary home. He scanned his card and slowly closed the behind him. He heard loud, horrible singing coming from the bathroom as he set down his suitcase on the small kitchen table.

Bucky slowly creeped up to the bathroom door and watched from underneath the frame as Gabriella sang along to the 80's song playing from the tiny speaker. She was dancing in the tub sloshing around water. He folded his arms over his chest as he watched in amusement.  _How could someone be so endearing yet so troubled?_

When Gabriella suddenly opened her eyes, she jumped at the sight of Bucky causing water to spill over the sides of the tub. He let out a laugh and walked closer to her as she tried to turn off her music from her phone.

“I was just about to call you,” she tutted while watching Bucky take a seat on the edge of the tub.

“Really? Doesn’t seem like you were in too much of a hurry.”

“I was relaxing.” she looked up at him.

“Do you think you could get out of the tub so we can discuss this?”

She furrowed her brows for a second before her eyes lit up and she nodded. She was about to stand up from the water and bubbles that covered her when Bucky stopped her.

“What? You never seen a naked girl before?”

He blinked rapidly and she laughed loudly. She enjoyed watching him squirm. It was funny. “I’m messing with you, James. Now, get out.”

He did as he was told and paced back and forth in the living room. He felt the heat on his cheeks and ears.  _Why was she doing this to him? Was it wrong that he felt that way?_  He wasn’t sure if he was even allowed to have some sort of feelings for her.

The bathroom door opened causing Bucky to stop and look back at Gabriella who was wrapped in a bright, fluffy white robe and a towel wrapped on top of her head.

“You wanna put some clothes on?”

“Not really.” she grinned. “So, what’s the deal Mr. James.”

“I need you ‘til next Friday.” He breathed out. “I'm involved in an important trial and in the evenings I'll need to relax…”

“Okay,” Gabriella nodded. “I'll give you my number. But  just so you know, I charge more on the weekends.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. “No, I want you to stay here. Sleep here, eat here, bathe here, watch that stupid cartoon show here.”

“See, when you said you wanted me to spend the week with you I didn’t think you  _literally_ wanted me to spend the week  _with_  you.” Gabriella placed her hands on her hips, “It’s gonna cost ya.”

“How much? Let's see if I can afford it.” He quipped.

“Well,” she tilted her head, “are we talking about seven full nights and days too?”

“Yes. You can do whatever you want during the days, but I'd like to have you on call, so to speak.” He stared at her, watching her face as he explained himself.

She stayed quiet as she thought of a number. Bucky waited and he felt sweat forming on the back of his neck. “Two thousand, so to speak.” she mocked him.

Bucky let out a long sigh and Gabriella laughed loudly. He wiped a hand down his face and gave her a tight smile. “Okay. That seems fair. Two thousand it is. Just letting you know, this is a very tough trial. There is a lot of pressure involved. When I get stressed, I need someone to help me relax. That means no problems. Is that clear?”

Gabriella rolled her eyes and nodded. “Sure thing, sweetie. I'll treat you like a prince for a week. Anything you want in anyway you want, I can do it.”

“I'm not just talking about sex.” Bucky replied, “I need some nice enjoyable company.”

“I'll treat you so nice you'll never want to let me go.” Gabriella smiled at him and Bucky already knew he was in trouble by the way his heart was beating fast in his chest and how he felt that same heat he felt minutes agoon his face spreading throughout his whole entire body.

“But  _I_  will go. This is only for a week. I don't want you to have any expectations. Sometimes these things get messy.” Bucky stated. He wanted to be as clear as day to her.

Gabriella shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m just looking forward to spending my money when we’re done.”

“Honest,” he hummed. “You seem like a very levelheaded girl. Quite businesslike if you were to ask me. So it's a deal?” He raised a brow.

“I just need to go back to Hollywood and get some of my things.” She bit down on her lip.

Bucky knew what type of things she was talking about – drugs. That was one of the last things he wanted in his environment. “No.” He stated sternly. “You are  _not_  going back to Hollywood. I’m not stupid, Gabriella. You’re going back for drugs. If you need anything else, I will be more than happy to buy it for you myself. What do you want?”

She stayed quiet. It wasn’t like she was constantly doing drugs every second of every day but it took her mind off things. It made her world a little hazy and slightly better. Bucky groaned as he watched her think.

“I’m not buying you drugs, Gabriella. Once the week is over you can go back and do your thing. But this week you’re staying clean.”

“I can’t go a whole week without getting high at least once. You can’t do this to me, James.”

“Then maybe I chose the wrong person to do this with.” He mumbled. “I didn’t know you were a drug addict.”

“I'm not a drug addict!” Gabriella shouted making Bucky jump.

The air in the room became tense as they both stared at each other. Bucky was slightly frightened and Gabriella was more so annoyed that he would even think of her like that. Then again, she was a complete stranger. He didn’t know anything about her other than the fact that she knew how to drive a sports car and is a prostitute.

“Alright. A week. But I want three thousand.” She stated.

Bucky studied her for a moment. She was being serious. He nodded. “That's fair. Three thousand dollars for one week, no drugs, no strings attached.”

“It's a deal.”


	4. CUATRO

“I’m over paying you, aren’t I?” Bucky asked at the sight of Gabriella’s ever growing smile on her face.

“I’m gonna be in that tub all day everyday  _and_ I’m gonna have room service bring me food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well – All for three thousand dollars. You’re  _definitely_ overpaying me.” She smirked.

Bucky smiled tightly and Gabriella’s shook her head at him. “James, I would have taken a thousand, but you and I both know you can put up three G’s. Can you not?”

Bucky let out a long breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. “I don’t think it’ll break me.”

“Then it’s a perfect deal!  _I’ll_  make you happy,  _you’re_  making me happy. It’ll even have the perfect fairytale ending.” She danced over to him.

Bucky eyed Gabriella as she got closer to him. “Well, I gotta get back to work. I probably won’t be back until late.”

Gabriella shrugged. “Okay; I’ll be right here.”

Bucky reached into his grey suit pants pocket and pulled out his heavy, black leather wallet. He flipped it open and slipped out a credit card. Gabriella’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the plastic he held in between his fingers. This was better than she expected. Bucky reached out and handed over his card, a feat that was difficult for him to do.

“I’m going to take a chance and trust you with this.” He looked into Gabriella’s brown eyes. “Go to Rodeo Drive and buy some nice clothes. Maybe some dresses, nothing too fancy or sexy. Light colors are nice. I want you to look respectable.”

“You want me to dress like your high class girlfriend?” She pursed her lips.

Bucky chuckled, “Well, let’s hope you don’t spend that much.”

“Then how much  _can_  I spend?”

“You’re smart. I know you can be reasonable.” He narrowed his blue eyes at the tanned girl in front of him. “Look, I’ll make you a deal: If you spend too much I’ll send it all back when this is over. If you’re sensible, I’ll let you keep it. Does that sound fair?”

Gabriella let out a noise that signified she agreed with the preposition. Bucky then did the unthinkable; he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek leaving them both flushed red.

“Bye,” he smiled before making his way out of the room and leaving Gabriella alone once again.

She squealed in delight once she deemed it safe before throwing the robe off her body and finding her clothes from the night before and stepping into them. But before she went out to shop she decided to give Wanda a quick call. The phone rang about 4 times before the line was picked up.

“Hello? Gabi is this you? Are you okay?” Wanda asked desperately.

Gabriella laughed, “Wanda! Oh my God! Wanda, you won’t believe what’s happened to me in the past 12 hours.” Gabriella went on about Bucky or tried to, at least. She didn’t know much about him to be talking about him in the first place. “It’s like I’m living like a Kardashian or something. It’s fucking crazy! He’s leaving next Friday. I’ll be back by then.”

“If he’s really as rich as you say, what does he want you for?” Wanda wondered.

“I’m the best money can buy,” Gabriella tooted her own horn.

Wanda scoffed on the other end, “Yeah, right. Is he a pervert?”

“I don’t think so.” Gabriella tilted her head. “I heard him talking on the phone this morning when he thought I was asleep. He said he had just broken up with some high class girl in New York and I think he might be trying to piss her off.” She picked at her nail beds, “What do I care? He’s paying me three thousand dollars.”

“You could’ve gotten more.”

“You know what? It’s ten times better than walking up and down the boulevard in shitty boots for a week.” Gabriella looked at the little clock on the bedside table and sat up straight. “Hey, I gotta go. If anyone asks for me, just tell them I’m socializing with people in Beverly Hills. You know, getting familiarized with people of my own class.”

“Ha, right. Low class.”

Gabriella rolled her eyes “Bye.”

She hung up the phone and stared at her shoes in the corner of the room. Then, her eyes came back to the credit card on the bedside table and she smiled from ear to ear. She hopped off the bouncy mattress and went to slip into her boots before grabbing the card and her purse and walking to the door.

“Time to shop!”

Gabriella waited what seemed like hours for the elevator to come up. She took in the detailing of the carpet, wallpaper and ceiling before being brought back to real life by the ding of the lift. When the doors opened, the same kid from the night before was sitting in the same spot. His reaction was still the same as well. Even though she wasn’t wearing the complete outfit from hours ago, wearing heavy make up or the fake blonde wig he still looked kind of confused and also displeased.

Gabriella smiled brightly at him, “Hi!”

“Lobby?”

She nodded and he pressed the round button with the letter “L” in the center, making the elevator doors close slowly and begin it’s descend. “I’m going to be staying here for a while—in the penthouse.”

The kid eyed her, still not being able to make out how he really felt about a prostitute parading around in such a fancy hotel. “Oh.”

“I really like this hotel. It’s very… nice.” Gabriella rambled before smiling awkwardly down at the younger boy.

He didn’t return it and her own smile faded. The doors opened a second later and she hesitantly stepped out into the lobby. She glanced back elevator operator and then looked down at the polished floors, seeing her blurry reflection in it. She knew why he was looking at her like that and why he didn’t want to associate with her. She didn’t blame him one bit.

She began her walk to the lobby doors and felt all eyes on her. Any other time she would have loved the attention, but this time she knew that it wasn’t a positive reaction. She knew what she looked like. She knew what these people were thinking. Gabriella rushed out of the hotel and out into the warm Los Angeles sun, taking in a deep breath before letting it out and looking around. She felt quite lost and out of place in this nice part of town at this time of day.

Either way, she started her trek to Rodeo Drive and made sure to take mental pictures of places she thought were pretty. She assumed she had arrived when she saw the street full of fancy shops and women and men holding delicate bags with items worth more than a hair on Gabriella’s body. She walked by many shops and stared at the jewelry or mannequins donning the name brand store’s clothes through the sparkling clean windows. Something about the all the expensive things around her made her feel on edge.

Gabriella stumbled upon a classy women’s boutique towards the end of the street. She hesitated for a second before slowly pushing the door open and entering. As soon as the glass door closed behind her, a saleswoman appeared from out of the blue and scared Gabriella.

The older blonde lady sneered at the brunette. “May I help you?”

Gabriella shook her head and answered back softly, “I’m just looking. Thanks.”

She tiptoed through the small store as if there were invisible laser beams around the shop; one wrong move and she would be killed by the hot beams. A pretty light blue dress caught her eye and she carefully walked up to it, grabbing it ever so cautiously and examining it. The blonde woman was starting to get annoyed with Gabriella’s presence and watching her touch a very expensive dress that she probably couldn’t afford drove her wild.

“Are you looking for something in particular?” The woman walked up to Gabriella and took the dress out of her hands.

Gabriella looked up at the woman, dumbfounded and kind of hurt. “I just need some new clothes.”

“Obviously.” the saleswoman’s eyes moved up and down Gabriella’s barely covered body.

“How much is that?” Gabriella pointed at the dress she was just looking at.

“I don’t think it would fit you.” The lady stated matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t ask if it would fit.” Gabriella hissed. “I asked how much.”

“It’s very expensive.”

Gabriella’s mouth fell open but nothing came out. Instead her eyes were the one’s doing the talking. She was basically shooting daggers at the woman. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve had this fucking look on your face since the moment I walked in here!”

“You’re obviously in the wrong place. You should leave.”

Gabriella just continued to stare at the woman in disbelief. She had never gotten kicked out of anywhere before.

“Please leave.” The woman ordered.

Gabriella groaned loudly before turning around and stomping towards the door. She stopped and spun on her heel to stare at the sales woman. “I was going to spend money here!”

The blonde woman said nothing so Gabriella flipped her off. She threw open the door and stormed outside while the saleswoman calmly walked back to her place behind the counter.

Gabriella looked out and noticed that it was busier than when she had gotten there. A man walked past her and eyed her like if she was some sort of monster. Gabriella scowled at him, making the man turn his head quickly and speed up his pace. She swallowed the lump in her throat and felt her eyes water. She took a deep breath and let it out a few seconds later. She didn’t dare to cry in public.

She walked down the sidewalk, looking for another shop but only felt more and more out of place as woman in designer outfits kept walking by her. Gabriella felt somewhat naked. She couldn’t be out in Rodeo Drive. She was crazy to even think that they would accept her out in the daytime. So with one last look of the famous shopping strip, she headed back to the hotel.

The walk back was fast due to Gabriella being angry at everyone and herself. But once she entered the lobby she felt nervous and paranoid from all the looks everyone was giving her once again. She was on her way towards the elevators when she was stopped by a middle aged man. She supposed he was the hotel manager by the outfit and the plaque he had as a name tag pinned onto the right breast of his suit.

“May I help you, Miss?”

“I’m just going to my room,” she looked up at him with panic. This day couldn’t get any worse.

“Are you a guest here?” He prodded.

“I’m with a friend.” She wasn’t lying, but she also wasn’t telling the entire truth.

“And who is that?”

“James…” Gabriella’s eyes filled with tears; she didn’t remember his last name. Her bottom lip began to tremble.

“What’s the matter?”

The elevator doors open and Gabriella spotted the operator. “He knows me!” She pointed at him with her index finger.

The hotel manager turned to look at the young man and eyed him curiously. The elevator operator stared back at them but didn’t react. The hotel manager waved him over and the operator obliged.

“Do you know this young lady?”

The operator looks at Vivian in disgust. “I mean, I don’t know her personally but I’ve seen her. She came down from the Penthouse. I believe she’s staying with Mr. Barnes.”

“Mr. Barnes?” The hotel manager questioned in surprise.

“Yes, sir.” The boy nodded. “She must have joined him last night…”

“I just want to go back to my room, please.” Gabriella’s voice cracked.

The manager’s tone changed as soon as he found out who she was staying with. He placed a hand on her shoulder and asked her if she was okay. Gabriella just kept repeating herself over and over again. _“I just want to go back to my room.”_

“Why don’t you come with me? We can talk for a bit.” The hotel manager offered before taking her arm and leading her to his office. He sat Gabriella down on a comfy sofa couch and then leaned against the edge of his desk. He was starting to seem like a father figure to her. One she didn’t ever have.

“My dear, I want you to realize that there are certain things that don’t happen in the Beverly Wilshire- things that go on in other hotels. Do you understand?” His voice was warm and comforting unlike the woman’s at the boutique shop.

Gabriella stayed quiet and just stared at the man.

“But Mr. Barnes is a very special customer of ours and we like to think of our special customers as friends. As a customer, I would expect Mr. Barnes to sign in any extra guests that he wants to spend the night. But as a friend, we’re willing to overlook it. I’m presume you’re a relative. You must be his niece.”

Gabriella found herself nodding at the hotel manager’s assumption.

“Of course.” He hummed. “Naturally, when Mr. Barnes leaves, I won’t see you in this hotel again. Right?”

Gabriella nodded again.

“I would also encourage you to dress in a more… appropriate manner.” He suggested.

Gabriella pulled out the credit card Bucky had given to her that morning and handed it to the older man as if it someone validated her actions. “I was trying to get some other clothes but… they wouldn't…”

Her voice cracks again for the second time in the hour and she looks down at her legs, pretending to pick off a piece of lint from her cheap dress. She looked back up at the man who was staring at the credit card in his hand before handing it back to her. The sigh he let out was a tired one, but he knew what he had to do to keep his “friends” happy. He walked around his desk and picked up the phone. His finger quickly dialed a number and waited one ring for the other line to be picked up.

“Women’s clothing.” He took a pause. “Could I speak to Peggy?” Another pause. “Hi, Peggy. This is Mr. Jarvis at the Beverly Wilshire. Listen, I’m going to send someone to you. She’s the niece of a special customer of ours. A  _very_  special customer: Mr. Barnes.”

Mr. Jarvis looked over at Gabriella who was still looking down at her lap. “Yes, the Brooklyn Barnes’. His niece is… from out of town and she needs a little help dressing for some special occasions while she’s here. Maybe you could help?” He smiled into the phone and nodded. “Thank you very much. She’ll be right over.”

He set down the phone and sent a small smile at Gabriella. “If you have any other problems, come ask for me personally. I’m Mr. Jarvis.”


	5. CINCO

After her talk with Mr. Jarvis, he called a car and walked her out to it. He let the driver know where to take her and with a small wave Gabriella was back off to Rodeo Drive but this time, walked into a Louis Vuitton store.

Her eyes widened at the sight of all the clothes, handbags, fragrances, and jewelry that surrounded her. She jumped in her place when a curvy brunette woman came up to her, a smile the size of the moon and softer than the pillows at the hotel adorning her face.

“You must be Mr. Barnes’ niece. Hi, I’m Peggy!”

Gabriella nodded timidly.

“What’s your name?”

“Gabriella.”

“Although, the mini-skirt is back in fashion, it’s not presentable when you’re around Mr. Barnes.” She looked at Gabriella’s outfit from an arm’s length away, a grimace coming across her face. “You look a like a hooker in that. Let’s find you something else. Come on.”

Peggy led Gabriella to the racks of clothes in the store’s middle section and made small talk with her while she browsed through the hangers.

“So, where are you from, dear?” Peggy’s posh accent rang.

Gabriella was quiet for a while, suddenly forgetting where she came from. She didn’t like to think of that time. It wasn’t her favorite. “Texas.”

“How about this?” Peggy held up an olive green dress and Gabriella frowned slightly. Peggy took notice and put the dress back in it’s place before sorting through again.

“Do you maybe have something in soft pink?” Gabriella asked timidly.

Peggy looked over at her with sparkling eyes. “Like a pastel?”

Gabriella nodded and she was sure she heard Peggy squeal. She grabbed Gabriella’s hand and pulled her into the back of the store. Peggy let her know that these dresses weren’t coming out until winter of this year for spring of next, but that for her she’d make an exception.

Once Peggy’s arms were full of different colored dresses she pulled her towards the dressing room, shoving her in with the light pink dress first. Gabriella undressed and then pulled on the pastel colored gown. The dress had fine white beading around the neck and shoulders and delicate lace on the collar. She looked like she was 5 and ready to go to church.

The dress was really pretty, no doubt, but it wasn’t her style at all. She sighed unhappily before pulling back the curtain and revealing herself to Peggy. The sales woman was currently approaching her with a pair of matching shoes.

“These should fit.” Peggy sat the shoes down in front of her.

Gabriella stepped into the shoes and looked at herself in the mirror again. It was better but she still felt like something was missing.

“Don’t you like the dress?” Peggy asked, a frown on her face.

“Oh, I like it, but…” Gabriella held up her hands in the mirror to show her chipped black, polish that adorned her fingernails. Her long unkept hair wasn’t helping either; she had no body or volume and not to mention the amount of dead ends.

“… I don’t know if it’s me.” She balanced from one foot to the other.

“Then we’ll just have to change you, won’t we?” Peggy put a hand on her hip. “I know of a salon about three blocks from here that work absolute wonders! You can get your hair, nails and makeup done a bit more conservatively.”

“You think that’s all I need to make this dress work?” Gabriella was still unsure about it.

“Of course!” She beamed. “By the time you get back to Texas they’ll think you were born in Beverly Hills. When you get there, ask for Thor. He’s the absolute best.”

Gabriella walked out of Louis Vuitton hours later in her new baby pink dress and matching shoes with shopping bags full of dresses and her old clothes and shoes in a brown paper bag. Her driver was waiting for her out by the curb and you let him know that you needed to go to the salon, handing him the card with the address on it. He nodded politely and helped her get into the back of the car before going around the back and getting in the driver’s seat.

They arrived to the salon in about 5 minutes and Gabriella was immediately greeted by a tall, handsome man with luscious, beach blond hair and a smile that could kill.

“Hi, I’m looking for Thor,” Gabriella asked.

“And I’m looking for Gabriella. Peggy told me all about you.” He stuck out his hand for her to take.

Gabriella grabbed it and gave him a nice, firm shake. “She did?”

Thor chuckled, “Good things. Only good things. You’re from Texas, right?” Gabriella nodded. “Well, we’ll give you the princess treatment, this way.”

Thor took Gabriella by the arm and led her into the back part of the salon. They are met by Heimdall, a man with dark colored skin, honey brown eyes and a smile that could charm the pants off of anyone. Gabriella was starting to believe that the men who ran the salon were some sort of Gods.

“Gabriella, this is Heimdall, he’ll be doing your nails. He’s very gentle. At least he is with nails. I don’t know about anything else.”

Thor took Gabriella to a salon chair and sat her down. Heimdall immediately began to work on her hands while Thor firmly grabbed her the chin and tilted her head one way and then the other, his eyes roaming her face in the most professional way. He let go of her and then gave her an intent stare.

“We have a lot of work to do, Miss. Texas. Are you with me?”

Gabriella stared at the beautiful man a bit unsure but also ready to let him do whatever he wanted. “Sure.”

Hours later, Gabriella’s hair fell beautifully over her shoulder as she sat at a vanity mirror applying blush to her cheeks lightly. Thor approached her with some lipsticks and sat down next to her.

“This should be the right shade for the new you.” He said. “These are samples. You’ll have to go to Sephora and buy them but I’ll make you a list.”

Thor watched as she applied the rouge to her face and grimaced. He reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her movements. She turned her head to look at him and he gave her an apologetic smile. “Upward strokes,” he started. “ _Always_ apply the blush upward so that you give the illusion that your face is lifted.”

He let go of her hand and she did what he instructed. He nodded and leaned back into the chair as he finished watching her apply her makeup. Once she was finished, she paid with Bucky’s credit card and thanked the men a thousand times.

“We’re happy to help, Gabi.”

She smiled at them once more before waving goodbye and having the driver take her to the nearest Sephora. Gabriella apologized to him from the back seat but he waved his hand in the air, dismissing it and let her know it was okay.

Once at the mall, she made a bee-line straight to the famous cosmetic store. The employee immediately greeted Gabriella and asked if she needed any help. She fished out the list from her purse and unfolded it before handing it over to the employee. She girl with bright red hair mumbled to herself as she read the scribbles before looking up at her and smiling.

“Follow me,” she said, bending down quickly to swoop a tiny basket to put the makeup in. The red head went through all the small aisles quickly and put in the items on her list before handing Gabriella the basket.

“That was fast,” Gabriella chuckled.

“I get that a lot,” she shrugged. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you uh…” Gabriella’s eyes searched for the red head’s name tag. “Natasha.”

Natasha took Gabriella up to the counter and with one last thank you, Natasha disappeared and Gabriella paid. She walked back to the car and groaned once she fell into the back seat. The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror and chuckled lightly.

“Tired?”

“Yes. I want to take a nap.”

As soon as they arrived to the hotel, Gabriella was helped out by her driver. She thanked him and looked up at the tall building once he disappeared around the corner. She felt like a new woman. She looked down at the paper bag containing her old clothes and bit down on her lip before she walked to the nearest trashcan and dumped the bag in the bin, hoping no one noticed and then marched into the hotel like she owned the place.

* * *

Back at the law offices, Bucky was being tugged and pulled every other way for this huge court case for someone named Scott Lang. He was currently being tried for robbery – and not just for robbing  _anyone._ He had decided to break into the Hollywood’s royalty, Steve Rogers’ home and taking a total of a million worth of electronics, clothes and shoes.

“I mean, there’s proof that he broke into Rogers’ home.” Bucky sighed frustratedly. He knew this would be hard work. Scott had a long record of misdemeanors and time he actually spent in prison.

Tony looked at Bucky, “This is what we went to school for, Barnes! We gotta convince the jury that Lang isn’t guilty even when it’s obvious that he is.”

“Tony, these people aren’t stupid. Maybe if they were kindergartners we could get away with it but even then, those kids would call us out on our shit.”

Tony rolled his eyes and stroked his chin. They were definitely going to lose the case. Especially if Bucky kept thinking like this. Steve had all the best lawyers in the city to support him. Not like he needed them anyway. The men were sure it was just to attract more attention from the press.

Then, Tony’s phone rang. He fumbled to answer it but when he did, his eyes widened and then his brows furrowed. He nodded and hummed to whatever the person on the other line was saying before hanging up and staring at Bucky who was ready to pull all the hair out of his head.

“Rogers wants to meet with us.”

“Isn’t that against the law?”

Tony shrugged and Bucky let his head fall to his hands. This couldn’t get any worse than it already was. It wasn’t like he had a choice to go because Tony had already agreed to meet up with him. They shrugged on their suit jackets, turned off the lights in the office and headed out to the warm Los Angeles weather. Tony drove them to a building out in downtown LA and they headed all the way to the top of the skyscraper. Bucky was nervous as hell mostly due to the height factor, not about meeting their plaintiff.

Bucky shielded his eyes from the bright sun as he watched a helicopter make its way toward them and get ready to land some yards away from where he and Tony were standing.

“I get he’s an actor,” Bucky yelled over the loud sound of the blades rotating in the wind. “But does he always have to be this dramatic?”

The helicopter landed and the pilot shut it off, the blades slowly coming to a stop. The side of the small plane opened and out came a tall, muscled, blond man. Bucky and Tony stood a bit straighter as the famous actor made his way to them. He saluted them and then stuck his hand out to shake.

“Steve,” he nodded at both brunet men standing in front of him.

He invited them back into the building and Bucky sighed in relief once they were inside and all he could see were walls and not thousands of feet out and below. Steve and Tony talked with each other while Bucky tried to regain his composure.

“James,” Tony cleared his throat. “Mr. Rogers has a question for you.”

Bucky looked up from his shiny black shoes and at the blond. “Yes, sir?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come to dinner with me and a group of friends tomorrow night? Mr. Stark said he won’t be able to make it.”

_This is so wrong,_ Bucky thought but Tony eyed him and gave him a tiny nod. “S-Sure,” Bucky agreed even though he wanted to say no. It was completely unethical of him to spend time with his plaintiff.

“I promise Scott Lang won’t know about this at all.”

They kept walking and talking but all Bucky could think of was how much trouble he was going to be in when everyone found out what he was doing. Once their meeting with the famous Steve Rogers was over, they were back to the office to keep working. Of course, they stopped for lunch before getting back.

“You set me up,” Bucky claimed, pushing his finished food away from him and sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Maybe,” Tony looked down at his watch. “Look, you’re a charmer, Barnes. Everyone loves you; you never rub anyone the wrong way.”

“Yeah, tell that to my ex.”

“You know what I mean,” Tony lolled his head to the side to give Bucky a look. “When you do business, it’s business. You’re not there to have fun like  _me._ ”

Bucky stared at his partner for a couple of seconds before giving up and nodding. “Fine, fine. But just so you know, I feel really uncomfortable doing this behind Scott’s back. It’s wrong, Tony.”

The door creaked open and Tony and Bucky’s head shot over to look at the person entering. It was just Clint, their head of the case. Tony picked up his trash and grabbed his folders and briefcase before bidding goodbye and leaving Bucky and Clint alone in the quiet office space.

“How’s it going?” Clint asked.

“Like shit,” Bucky chuckled dryly. “I told Stark that there’s no way in hell we’re going to win this case. There’s video proof, Barton!”

“All we can do is try our best,” Clint leaned against the door frame.

Bucky looked up at the man and closed his eyes. “Clint, we met up with Steve Rogers today.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “He actually wanted to meet with me first. I told him no so he went with you two. I had a feeling Tony wasn’t going to say no to him.”

Bucky laughed again and shook his head. “Now I gotta go to fucking dinner with that dude and his pretentious friends.”

“As if you aren’t pretentious yourself, James. Look, just think of it like being undercover. Try to get as much dirt on Rogers and bring it back. You and Tony could make this work and who knows?” Clint shrugged. 

“Maybe we could get Lang’s sentence lowered or something. I picked you and Tony to defend Scott because you’re my best on the east coast. Now it’s time to show off on the west coast. I know you two can do it.”

Bucky stared at Clint and bit down on his lip for a moment. He had to repeat to himself that this was just business over and over again until he found himself nodding. Clint smiled at Bucky one more time before leaving him alone in the quiet space to mentally beat himself up over and over again.


	6. SEIS

Gabriella walked to the elevators and pressed the round button with an arrow pointing up, making it light up. She tapped her foot against the shiny, marbled floor as she waited. Once the doors opened she saw the same guy she had seen the night before, that morning and afternoon.

The operator doesn’t even acknowledge her. It was most likely due to the fact that she had so much stuff in her hands and half of her face was covered. If anything, it seemed like his eyes had turned into heart shapes. He pressed on the button to close the doors before clearing his throat.

“Floor, ma'am?”

“Penthouse, please.” She tilted her chin up a little bit so he could get a look at her. She smiled at him and the operator did a double take. “You didn’t even recognize me. I’m kind of hurt, kid.”

He rolled his eyes at her and pressed the button hard.

“It’s funny what a difference a make-over really does. For a second there you thought I was some rich person you had to suck up to.”

“Yeah, for a  _brief_  moment.” he remarked.

“But you wouldn’t know what that feels like because  _you_  always look like a snotty bellboy, don’t you?” She sassed.

They both eyed each other as the elevator ascended further up.

“I am not a bellboy. I’m an assistant manager in training. I have a bachelor’s in hotel management  _a_ _nd_  when I’m managing this hotel I won’t allow any whores on the site.”

Gabriella scoffed loudly, “I’m guessing that’s so you won’t have any competition.”

The doors opened as soon as she finished her sentence and she gave the operator one last smile before walking out of the elevator and to the penthouse door. She took out her key and scanned it, watching the light from red to green and hearing the door click.

* * *

Bucky threw away his trash and collected his items before stopping by Clint’s office to say goodbye.

“Is your model girlfriend going to the dinner with you tomorrow night?” Clint asked.

“Uh, actually that’s been over since last night. I… She… We-It just wasn’t working out.”

Clint frowned, “Well, while you’re in town, Fury’s Agency has three new girls in and they’re right up your alley.”

“No, thanks.” Bucky nodded at him. “I met a beautiful, no nonsense girl who’s going to stay with me for the week. She wants a third of what those pimps charge.”

“A lawyer looking for a bargain,” he said. “What, you met a pro in the hotel?

“No, I was driving around the city and I found a… girl.”

“You picked up a hooker?” Clint exclaimed. “Are you out of your mind, Bucky? Do you know what kind of diseases they’ve got?”

“The girls you try to set me up with aren’t the cleanest either, Clint. I’m careful.” Bucky held his hands up in defense.

“But a prostitute? Your putting a street walker in your hotel room for a week? She’s probably calling Robert Shapiro right now trying to find a way to screw you over!” Clint freaked. “What if she’s fucking crazy and decides to knife you in your sleep? What if she slits her wrists in your bathroom? How am I going to protect you when she and the hotel sue you for God knows what?”

“Drop it,” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“ _Drop it_?” Clint’s eyes widened and almost fell out of his skull. “I’m your friend for God sake. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a girl, Bucky. But you have to go with a respectable agency. If you’re too fucking cheap I would have picked up the tab for you.”

Bucky huffed while gripping onto his briefcase. “Those high class hookers are leeches. I’ve found a nice, anonymous girl who’s excited to provide me with whatever I want at a fair rate with no hassles. She’s just a simple working girl and that’s all I want.”

Clint pushed himself away from his desk with both hands in the air. “Alright, Barnes. Whatever you say.”

* * *

Back at the hotel, Gabriella was currently standing in front of a floor length mirror posing in such a manner that even she couldn’t take herself seriously. She didn’t even look like herself anymore, but that’s what Bucky wanted out of her. He wanted her to look like a complete different person if she was going to be around him.

Gabriella was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a doorbell ring. She was confused;  _there are doorbells for hotel rooms?_ Gabriella stayed put until it rang again. She groaned and carefully walked over to the door where she first peered through the peephole and found a maid standing there. Gabriella pulled the door open and smiled awkwardly.

“Hi.”

“Hi, I’m here to turn down your bed.” The woman’s accent was thick and Gabriella suddenly felt homesick.

“What?”

“I’m here to turn down your bedspread?”

Gabriella’s blank stare had the maid smiling in amusement.  

“Oh, I don’t know.” Gabriella’s voice was unsure, “Is there some kind of trick to it?”  

“No, not really. It’s just a service of the hotel.”

“Well, maybe you should do it. I don’t know if James likes that kind of thing or not but you’re already here and I wouldn’t want to send you away.”

Gabriella moved out of the way and the maid walked into the penthouse heading straight to the room that held the bed and watched her basically make the bed. Gabriella was stunned. She actually thought the maid was going to literally turn down the bed.

“That’s it?”

The maid hummed, “That’s it.”

“You mean there are people who are too lazy to make the bed on their own?”

“Well, it’s not laziness exactly. It’s a courtesy.”

“That’s just so stupid,” Gabriella skipped a beat. “I mean, I’m not saying you’re at fault. I’m sure it isn’t your idea. But I can’t believe anybody expects someone to fold down their bedspread every night.”

The maid looked back at the bed and then at Gabriella. She shrugged and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. It is stupid.”

As soon as Gabriella let the maid out of the penthouse, Bucky stepped into the lobby and made his way to the front desk.

“Any messages?”

The front desk clerk shook his head and Bucky thanked him. He was about to make his way to the elevator when Mr. Jarvis stopped him from the other side of the counter. Bucky’s eyes narrowed at the man as he walked up to him. He was tired and not in the mood to deal with anyone else today.

“Good evening, Mr. Barnes.”

Bucky nodded at the man.

“I met your “niece” in the lobby today.”

“My niece?” Bucky answered, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes. That pretty, young girl staying in your room. I just assumed…”

Both of the men’s eyes meet and Bucky suddenly felt like Mr. Jarvis was trying to intimidate him in someway. Bucky wasn’t going to let him win anyway. He never let anyone win. “I don’t have a niece.” he stated.

“My honest mistake.”

“That pretty, young girl in my room is a prostitute.” Bucky confirmed and Mr. Jarvis choked on his spit. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, Mr. Barnes. Have a good rest of your night.” Mr. Jarvis bowed his head slightly before walking away from Bucky.

Bucky watched him leave and turned back to front desk person. He suddenly felt more awake. He flashed a smile before asking for food to be sent up to the penthouse. “Oh, and a bottle of champagne, too! Sparkling water would be nice. And strawberries.”

Gabriella stood in front of the large glass windows staring out into the city, thinking of her time she’d spent here so far. The door opened and Gabriella turned away from the windows to watch Bucky walk in and drop his suit case onto the floor mumbling to himself. When he finally looked up, his eyebrows raised and she was sure a breath caught in his throat.

“How do I look?” She took small steps towards him.

He wasn’t completely aware of what he was doing, he just knew his legs were moving across the space between them.

“Well? Do you like it?”

“You… you look different.”

Gabriella frowned, “You hate it don’t you?”

“No! Gabriella, I don’t hate it. It’s… it’s just that you look… different.” He tilted his head slightly.

Gabriella not wanting to show that she was anxious over his reaction covered it up with anger. “Yeah because I don’t look like a whore anymore. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“Yeah, I did.”

He tried to get closer to get a better look at her but Gabriella took what seemed like 5 steps back so Bucky just stayed put.

“You had your hair done.” He wanted to reach out and touch it again just like the night before.

‘Yeah, it was expensive.” she replied, “But I’ll pay you back out of my money-”

“No, no.” he cut her off. “I’ll pay for it. You look wonderful. Beautiful.”

“You think so?” Her voice came out softer than she expected.

“Yes.”

But still, Gabriella had her doubts that Bucky was being honest with her. He still had the same face of shock. “You wanted something more sexy, huh? Tits out, dress short and so tight I can barely breathe. Guy’s like that, don’t they?”

“No, no, this is perfect. I just didn’t think you would… you have great taste.” Bucky admitted as his eyes fell back onto her body again and took in every single thing about her outfit.

“Taste isn’t hard when you have money to spend.” She clicked her tongue. “The woman at Louis Vuitton told me what to wear and this guy who was for sure cut out of some sort of marble cut my hair and told me how to do my makeup. I was hoping you’d like it.”

“I do like it. You look gorgeous.” Bucky got closer and this time Gabriella didn’t back away. He kissed her cheek again like he did that morning and he caught her blush slightly.

He walked away from her and began to loosen his tie around his neck while kicking off his shoes. Gabriella watched from where she was standing and she wondered if this was what it was like to have someone to come home to every night.

“I had an interesting talk with the hotel manager downstairs.” Bucky cleared his throat.

“Oh.”

“Listen to me, Gabriella.” Bucky turned to look at her. She was staring and listening to him intently. “I don’t know what happened with you two and I don’t care. I’m paying a lot for this room and as long as you’re my guest, the people in this hotel will treat you like a queen. If anyone hassles you, or makes you feel uneasy, you tell me. Okay? If I have to, I’ll buy the hotel and burn it down to show my point.”

Gabriella smiled from ear to ear hearing Bucky talk about her in such a way before let out a contagious laugh. “Mr. Jarvis wasn’t mean to me, exactly. He was doing his job, although he may have been over doing it but still. Everyone else has mostly been nice to me since I got this makeover. Isn’t it funny how people treat you differently once you’ve changed for the better?”

Bucky stared at her endearingly and listened to her as she continued.

“Anyway, the only person who’s been mean to me is the stupid elevator boy. He’s a brat.”

“You want me to have him fired?”

“Fired?” Gabriella’s eyes widened. “No. Maybe yelled at.”

Bucky laughed. “I’ll see what I can do. So did you buy anything else?”

Gabriella ran across the penthouse to her new purse and reached in to take out pieces of paper. “Yep, I saved all the receipts. I bought three dresses and some other things.”

“Only three dresses?”

“I just assumed I wouldn’t be going out much. And the clothes were so expensive, James. Two of them I got at a discount because Peggy was sweeter than candy but even then it came to almost be nine hundred dollars. I could have gone to like Macy’s or something and not have done that much damage to your credit card.”

“That’s fine,” Bucky hummed.

Gabriella stared at him for a second before her face lit up, “Here, let me show you what I bought!”

She ran to the couch and picked up a box and a couple of bags. She took out a dress from the first bag and held it up for Bucky to look at. It was a pretty mint green dress. Quickly she unzipped the dress she was wearing and Bucky’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure if he should look away or not. He noticed that she had matching light pink lingerie on.

“New underwear too?”

Gabriella stopped mid-zip and smirked. “Yeah, you like it?”

Bucky nodded and Gabriella chuckled, “Good. I got another one that matches this dress.” She pointed down at the material that was covering her.

The doorbell rang once again and Bucky removed his hands from his pockets. “Room service.”

She nodded and finished zipping up her dress, “I’ll get it!”

She darted to the door and revealed a bellboy with a tray of food. “Come on in. You can put it down over there,” she pointed at the table.

He carried the tray over to the table and then walked back to the door. Bucky handed the bell boy a twenty dollar bill from his spot. Gabriella smiled at the young man before she closed the door and walked over to the table of food. Bucky made his way over and pulled out the bottle of champagne from the bucket and popped the cork, making Gabriella squeal in delight. He poured a bit in a glass for her while he opened a mineral water and poured it into his own glass.

“You’re not drinking?”

“I don’t like to drink,” he answered.

“Huh…” she nodded. “You don’t seem like someone who  _doesn’t_ like to drink.”

“Now, don’t assume Gabri-”

“Yes, I know. Because when you assume you make an ass out of you and me. Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes and Bucky laughed.

“Cheers?” He held up his glass.

“Cheers, Mr. Barnes.” She clinked hers with his and then took a sip of the bubbly. “Ooh, this is good shit right here! I’ve only ever had hard, cheap liquor. I feel like a changed woman now.”

Bucky laughed loudly causing Gabriella to smile from ear to ear. She liked the sound of his laugh and the sight of his smile. She wished he did it more often. It was quite a sight that she was growing fond of and she knew that saying goodbye to him at the end of the week would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do.


	7. SIETE

The next day, Bucky and Gabriella went out to Rodeo Drive. This time to find something for Bucky to wear to Steve Rogers’ dinner invitation. Gabriella wore a white dress with a big floppy hat and black pumps. Bucky still couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw her in her new get up. She was a completely different person.

“I got most of it at a great price,” Gabriella yapped. “A lot of it is polyester, but this white one is real silk.” She pulled at the end of her dress to feel it while Bucky looked down at the material and nodded.

“It only cost around two fifty or so.” She added softly.

Bucky grinned, “Gabi, it’s fine. I don’t care what you spend. I trust you.”

“Are you still going to let me keep it all?”

“Yes. It’s yours.”

Gabriella’s eyes lit up and she leaned over to place a quick kiss onto Bucky’s cheek. “So what do you think of me now that I have a new hairstyle and some clean clothes? I don’t smell like the streets anymore – at least I don’t think. Do I rate as good as your high class call girls?”

Bucky looked into her warm, brown eyes and smiled with a sigh. Something about the sincerity of the question upset him.

“Better. You’re a lot better. You’re wonderful, Gabriella.”

They walked into Gucci and Bucky was immediately helped. Gabriella followed behind him as they began to take his measurements and so. One of the employees had her take a seat in one of the comfy leather couches and offered her water. She politely declined and watched them take Bucky away so he could try on some suits. He stepped out in a grey one and raised his eyebrows at Gabriella. She frowned and shook her head. He disappeared again and came out with a navy blue suit; Gabriella still wasn’t feeling it.

That went on for an hour or so until Bucky stepped out in an all black suit from head to do. His blue eyes looked icier than before and his dark hair and scruff tied it all together. Gabriella held up two thumbs and a big smile on her face. Bucky sighed in relief that she liked it and then he was off to get back into the clothes he came in with and to pay at the register. He had them drop it off at the hotel and then they were both off to walk the drive again.

Gabriella spotted the boutique she was kicked out of the day before and her blood boiled. Her feet began to move that way and Bucky followed. Her eyes hardened and her lips were set in a straight line. She is better armed this time in a white, silk dress from Louis Vuitton. She marched into the store with Bucky following behind her, not having the slightest clue of what was going through Gabriella’s head.

The saleswoman greeted them; it was the same woman who had kicked Gabriella out. Gabriella sneered at her and made her way to the dress she was looking at the day before. She grabbed it roughly,  Bucky’s eyebrows furrowing. He jumped at the sound of another woman’s voice asking Gabriella if she needed help. Gabriella didn’t answer though. She just stared a hole into the material.

“Isn’t it pretty? It’s on sale.”

Gabriella let go of the dress and abruptly faced the saleswoman and stared at her hard. “It wouldn’t fit me.”

Gabriella grabbed Bucky’s hand and stomped towards the front door. She turned back to look at the saleswoman who was trying to figure out who Gabriella was.

“Maybe you’ll remember this.” Gabriella stated before holding her hand and raising her middle finger high up in the air.

She pulled Bucky out of the store and he was trying to process what had just happened. “Did we… walk in there just so you could flip her off?”

“Yes.”

She hadn’t let go of Bucky’s hand and he really didn’t want her to but he needed to stop her and figure out what had just happened. “I’m obviously missing something.” He removed his hand from hers.

“I came here yesterday and she kicked me out of the store, James! I know why she did. It was because I looked like a fucking prostitute. She didn’t even let me try on the dress. I was gonna fucking pay for it.”

Bucky let Gabriella calm herself and once she did, she laughed. She shook her head and laughed hard.

“Are you on drugs?”

“No!” She exclaimed. “I just… that was exhilarating. I don’t think I’ve ever done something like that. It’s not me to do so. Wanda is more of that person.”

“You’re crazy,” Bucky’s lips turned at the corner.

“Obviously.”

* * *

They headed back to the hotel; the California sun becoming too hot to bear. Bucky ordered room service down in the lobby before heading up to the room with Gabriella in tow. She kicked off her shoes once inside the room and flung her hat somewhere into the common area of the suite.

“So… what do you do all day while you’re gone? I don’t think there’s any crazy trials happening at the moment.”

“No, not yet.” Bucky sighed while kicking off his own shoes. “But uh, me and my coworker, Tony, are working on a case that has to do with a robbery. A really big robbery. It’s boring. It’s just a lot of reading, really. I get massive headaches.”

“What’s the case about?”

“You know that romantic-comedy star, Steve Rogers?”

“Ooh, yes! He’s  _so_ dreamy. I loved him in that movie where plays a soldier that falls in love with this gorgeous agent and before he actually goes out to war he wants to have one last dance with her but things happen in between that time that make it hard for them to do so. It’s super depressing but  _so_ good.”

Bucky’s eyes squinted and he nodded his head slowly. “Yeah… well, his house was broken into while he was away. They basically took everything out of his house. We don’t even know how. But this guy wants to send my client to prison for life. It’s ridiculous and quite stupid if you were to ask me.”

“Aw,” Gabriella frowned. “He’s an idiot.”

“Most actors are,” Bucky replied.

“Don’t be mean, James.”

“I’m not!” he laughed. “I’m being truthful.”

“Tell me more.”

“About Steve Rogers?”

“No” She replied. “About your cases. What’s the craziest one you’ve had yet?”

“Really? You want to know this?”

Gabriella nodded her head eagerly and Bucky went on about his craziest case yet. She listened intently and Bucky felt like he was important for once. His phone vibrated in his pocket in the middle of one of his stories. He apologized to Gabriella before pulling out his phone. It was a text message letting him know that he had to meet with Clint and Tony.

“Shit,” he mumbled.

“What?” Gabriella’s eyes softened at the sight of a frenzied Bucky.

“I have a meeting to get to with Tony and Clint.” He sighed, running his fingers through his short dark brown hair. He quickly ran to the room and changed into a new outfit that wasn’t sweated into. He came out a couple of minutes later and stood in front of Gabriella who had taken a seat on the couch.

“How do I look?”

“Are you really asking me this?” she giggled, eyeing him up and down.

“Yes.”

“You look good. Very lawyer-like.”

“Ha, funny.” Bucky chimed. He bent down and placed a kiss on Gabriella’s forehead. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He walked out of the room and Gabriella sighed. When Bucky asked to hire her for a week she thought that they would spend more time together. If she would have known that she wasn’t going to see him at all throughout the week she would have said no. Well, that’s a lie. She still would have said yes.

She grabbed the remote control and turned on the television, going to the OnDemand service and searching for SpongeBob Squarepants.

“Stupid yellow sponge always makes me feel better,” she mumbled to herself before getting comfortable and singing along to the theme song.

Bucky arrived to the law offices and spotted Tony already in Clint’s office. The other lawyers working that day were buzzing around and talking amongst each other to realize Bucky walking in and over to Clint’s office.

“You made it,” Clint joked.

“Hey.” he took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.

“So, Steve Rogers might drop his ridiculous charges on Lang.”

“What?” Bucky and Tony sat forward, looking at each other and then scowling at the thought of all their hard work going down the drain.

“I know, I know.” Clint clasped his hands in front of him and set them on the polished wooden desk. “But if he wants to drop them, what are we to do? Fight him? Tell him he  _should_ press charges against Lang? Look, I don’t know why or what changed his mind but he seems pretty set about it.”

“Do I still have to go to the stupid dinner with him?” Bucky whined.

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep you up to date if I hear anything else from his side but I did want to let you two know about it just in case. Doesn’t mean you can slack off on your work though.”

Tony huffed beside Bucky and the other brunet rolled his eyes into the back of his head. Clint dismissed both men and Tony and Bucky just looked over at each other. Tony offered to go to a bar and Bucky agreed. They walked down a couple of blocks and entered a little hole in the wall place.

“I can’t believe this bullshit,” Tony tossed back a shot and Bucky took a sip of his water while nodding. “All the nights and days we spent locked up in that fucking office just to throw it away because the cheesy actor decided to change his mind.”

“At least you don’t have to go to dinner with him.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not going. If I would have gone, I would give him a piece of my damn mind.”

“Yeah, and then he’d want to take  _you_ to court.”

Tony let out a dry laugh, “Yeah, that’d be fun.”

The two men spent hours at the bar joking around and talking about work and life; the whole entire time Bucky watched Tony get wasted, knowing that he would have to call him a cab home. He’d do anything for his friend just like he hoped Tony would do for him.

Back at the hotel, Gabriella was over watching SpongeBob. She turned off the television and walked to the bedroom where she threw herself on the bouncy bed. She stretched while smiling to herself.  _This was the life_ , she thought to herself.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and scrolled through her Instagram before deciding to text Wanda.

 **Gabi** : i miss youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!! 


	8. OCHO

Gabriella put out her cigarette on the corner of the hotel before walking back inside and smiling at Mr. Jarvis and his employees. She rode the elevator up to the top floor and walked back into the penthouse. She took her phone out of her bag and noticed a reply.  _Wanda was coming over_. Gabriella squealed in delight and tidied up what she could.

Wanda walked into the hotel lobby an hour or so later looking out of place in sneakers, ratty jeans and an old t-shirt. She wandered around the lobby before finding the corridor to the elevators. Wanda glanced around the hotel and nodded, quite impressed that Gabriella ended up there.

The elevator doors opened and the operator frowned. He definitely wasn’t liking Wanda and she hadn’t even opened her mouth. She walked into the lift while the operator eyed her up and down. She acted like she belonged with everyone staying at the hotel when she didn’t and it managed to piss the him off.

“Yes?”

“I’m seeing a friend. She’s staying with some guy. I think she said in the penthouse or something.” she  announced.

“Figures,” he mumbled.

Wanda looked over at him and scoffed. “Fuck you, bell boy.”

He angrily pressed a button and watched the doors close slowly. She glared at him the whole way up and he was starting to feel uncomfortable under her hard stare. The doors dinged open and he silently thanked God that she was getting out.

Wanda walked up to the door with the number Gabriella sent her and rang the doorbell. She waited a couple of seconds before the door opened. “Wanda!” Gabriella exclaimed at the sight of her best friend.

The shorter blonde walked right passed her and into the penthouse where she marveled at everything around her, especially the large windows with a beautiful view of the city. “Holy shit! Look at this view!”

Gabriella quickly shut the door and frowned. Wanda wasn’t as excited to see Gabriella as Gabriella was.

“That’s a warm welcome.” Gabriella said sarcastically.

“What?” Wanda turned to look at the tall brunette. “I’m happy to see you, G. But these fucking  _windows_ and the view! I’m sorry; I’ve never seen anything like this before. You’ve been living here for two days and suddenly you’re a changed person.”

Gabriella rolled her eyes at Wanda and crossed her arms over her chest. “I am  _not_  a changed person.”

Wanda moved from her spot by the large windows and began to walk around the place. Gabriella was hot on her heels. For some reason, Gabriella didn’t feel it was right that she was snooping around.  She knew that Wanda had a thing for stealing things and she wasn’t going to allow her to do that.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it was a nice place.”

“Wanda, you’d be better to just go.” Gabriella was starting to grow anxious.

“Relax,” she laughed dryly. “I’ll just say I’m a maid or something. Why are you trying to kick me out already? I thought you were excited to see me. We’re still friends aren’t we, or am I just trash to you now?”

Gabriella scoffed, “Of course we’re friends. I just don’t want him to get mad if he finds you here. Besides the hotel people are keeping an eye on me.”

Wanda found the mini-bar and opened the refrigerator. She looked around in it and pulled out a beer and opened it, changing the subject quickly. “Look at this; A stocked fridge and everything.” Wanda stood up straight and looked over at her. “Hey, why don’t we order some food from room service?”

“No,” Gabriella replied firmly with a furrow of her brows.

Wanda took a sip of her beer and stared at Gabriella. “Well he certainly didn’t waste any time fixing you up like his perfect doll, did he? Your hair’s really cute, but I don’t know if you’re going to attract a lot of dates when you get back on the street.”

“I’ll just add more waves to it or whatever. Maybe I’ll start wearing my wig again.”

“Yeah, like I taught you three months ago when you first got into town. You didn’t know anything back then. You wouldn’t have lasted two days without me.” Wanda’s words were sharp and they stung.

“Why are you acting like this?” Gabriella was hurt. She missed Wanda but if she had known she would have treated her this way she wouldn’t have asked her to come over.

Wanda looked down at the beer and her shoulder dropped. Her voice was soft and sad. “… Last night I started getting worried that you might not come back. That you’d take his money and leave me.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Gabriella assured her.

Wanda gulped some of the beer and chuckled. “Hell, I would. So what’s Prince Charming like?”

“He’s nice. Pretty okay. He doesn’t hit me or get loud with me or anything.”

Wanda nodded and finished her beer with a long sip. She looked at Gabriella sadly; she really did miss her best friend. “You look great. You really do look great. I really do miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” Gabriella grinned. “You wanna see what he got me? They’re pretty cute clothes if you were to ask me. Come on.”

Gabriella pulled Wanda to the room and sat her down on the bed. She bent over and picked up the bags and boxes, taking out the dresses one by one and laying them out. Wanda watched Gabriella show them off and she couldn’t help but feel jealous of her.

“And the one I’m wearing is real silk,” Gabriella pointed out.

“It pretty, it’s all real pretty.” Wanda clicked her tongue, “He bought you all this stuff?”

“I picked it out and used his credit card,” Gabriella shrugged, “so yeah… he paid for it. He said I could keep it.”

“He must like you a lot to buy you all this stuff.”

Gabriella shrugged again. “Doubt it.”

“Maybe at the end of the week he’ll want you to keep you around.” Wanda tutted.

“He lives in New York. I’m not leaving to the east coast.”

“So? He’s got money, G. You’d have it made. No more walking.”

“I don’t think he’d do it. He just… he doesn’t like me like that.” Gabriella replied.

Wanda rolled her eyes at Gabriella. “Well, I’d better get going.”

Gabriella frowned. She didn’t want to let Wanda walk away when things were already so tense between the two of them. What if she was right? What if Bucky did take her to New York with him? What would she do then?

“We can order room service.”

“No, thanks. I’m good.” Wanda hurried over to the door and Gabriella followed. Wanda stopped as soon as her hand landed on the door knob and she took a long breath before letting it out. “I shouldn’t have come. It was stupid of me. I’ll see you when you get back;  _If_ you get back.”

“I’m coming back,” Gabriella confirmed.

Wanda stared at her friend and Gabriella felt bad. She didn’t mean to upset Wanda. But Wanda told her to take the car. It wasn’t Gabriella’s fault.

“Yeah, I know. I’m messing with you.” Wanda took a quick pause, “Hey, do you have any money left? I mean, I just paid Banner our rent and things have been pretty slow on the street. I think Loki’s girls have taken them all away from the rest of us. And I don’t really feel like working tonight.”

Gabriella stayed quiet for a second before nodding. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve got like twenty bucks in my bag.” She crossed the room and grabbed her bag, taking out the bill and handing it to Wanda.

“Thanks, Gabi. I’ll see you.”

Wanda opened the door and walked out. Gabriella watched her get into the elevator and then closed the door. She rest her head against the wooden frame and sighed. She was sad that Wanda had treated her the way she did, but she was also relieved that she had left before Bucky showed up. She wandered back into the living room and spotted the beer bottle that Wanda had left on the coffee table. She picked it up and threw it away.

Then, the phone rang throughout the penthouse. Gabriella darted to answer it, falling down onto the chair with a huff. “Hello?”

“Never answer the phone. Ever.”

Gabriella clicked her tongue, “Believe me, this will be the last time.”

“Anyway, the dinner was changed to tonight. I’ll be at the hotel lobby at seven forty-five sharp. Okay?”

“Are you saying you aren’t going to come and pick me up, James? What kind of date are you taking me on?”

“This isn’t a date, Gabriella.” he rolled his eyes on the other line.

“Go by yourself then.” She sassed.

“Gabriella,” Bucky cried. “Please.”

“Fine,” she scoffed. “But only because you’re paying me to.”

“Thank you,” he sang.

Gabriella hung up the phone after Bucky thanked her but then it began to ring again. She picked up without a second thought.

“I thought I told you not to answer the phone.”

“Fuck off,” she laughed.

Bucky hung up and smiled to himself. She bit down on her fingernails and then decided to call Mr. Jarvis to ask for advice He answered on the second ring with a happy greeting.

“Mr. Jarvis! It’s me, Gabriella!”

“Ah, Mr. Barnes’ niece.”

“Mmm, no…”

“How may I help you?”

“James is taking me out to this fancy dinner tonight with Steve Rogers? Ever heard of him?”

“He sounds familiar.” Mr. Jarvis replied.

“He’s a famous actor. Anyway, I have to make a good impression. I need your help picking out a dress. Do you think you could come up to the room?”

“I don’t know about that Miss…..”

“Alvarez.” she stated.

“Miss. Alvarez, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“Please! I don’t have anyone else to model dresses to and I think you’d be the perfect to give me an honest opinion.”

It was silent for a while until Mr. Jarvis agreed on the other line. Gabriella cheered but he reminded her that he only had 10 minutes to spare. She assured him she would be fast; she only had 5 other dresses. After hanging up, Gabriella ran to take her dresses out of the bags again and laid them on the bed.

He arrived 5 minutes later, cutting the time she’d model for him short. He quickly dismissed 2 out of 3 dresses before she even tried them on. He said they were too frilly to wear to an evening dinner with a hot celebrity. She tried on the other 2 and he didn’t like those either. The last one to try was a [simple black cocktail dress](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fnafdress.com%2Fassests%2Fimages%2Fcocktail-dresses-elegant.jpg&t=Y2NhZjgyYmFkZjE3NWQ2ZTQ5ODljMDc4MDRmNTExZGViYThiMDQzNSwydFI0WUJTWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AykkdFoTOR_TkdfvSbd33FA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmydragulesebastian.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F164637943879%2Fpretty-woman-ocho-bucky-barnes-x-ofc-au&m=1), but it was perfect on her.

“That’s the one!”

“You think?” She looked down at herself.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Now… do you know which fork to use?”

She widened her eyes. “Fork? There’s different forks?”

“I think I’ve got 20 extra minutes to spare. Change into something more comfortable and meet me in the lobby.”

Gabriella nodded and once Mr. Jarvis left, she changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that she had picked up the other day. She headed down to the lobby and met up with Mr. Jarvis who took her to his office. On his desk, he had set up a formal place-setting complete with an infinite amount of different sized forks, spoons, and crystal glassware.

Mr. Jarvis sat across from Gabriella who stared down at the utensils confusingly. He laughed and let her know that he would show her. “In fifteen minutes I’ll teach you everything you need to know to dine with the Queen.”

“I thought I was fancy because I ate my cheeseburger and fries with champagne today. But this is a whole other level!”

“First, as you pick up the knife you shift your fork to the left hand.”

“But I always eat like this.” she frowned.

“Either you’re European or badly brought up.”

“Ha, definitely not European that’s for sure.”

“All right now, pay attention please. Salad fork.”

“What if they serve soup?” She questioned.

“They will serve salad.” He confirmed.

“ _But what if they serve soup?_ ” Gabriella pressed causing Mr. Jarvis to roll his eyes at her.

He groaned. “Then you use your soup spoon.”

“I like steak.” She smiled up at him.

Mr. Jarvis picked up the appropriate utensil, “Then you would use your-”

“My steak spoon!” she joked and Mr. Jarvis swallowed his exasperated sigh.

“Miss. Alvarez-”

“Maybe I’ll just order a burger, Jarvis. Is it okay if I just call you Jarvis? That way I can eat with my hands. I won’t remember what I’m supposed to eat what with when I get to the restaurant.”

“Fine. Are you going to style your hair any differently?”

She shrugged. “I only have a shitty ass hair dryer in the penthouse. There’s not much I  _can_ do, Jarvis.”

“I could get someone here to do your hair if you’d like. Instead of worrying about table manners, you could just get your hair done.”

“Really?”

“Of course. It’d be my pleasure.”

Mr. Jarvis sent Gabriella on her way and then made a quick call to one of the salons he had connections with. They arrived to the hotel 30 minutes after the phone call and headed up to the penthouse. Gabriella opened the door and let them in, having them set up wherever they felt like it. They asked her what kind of style she wanted and she shrugged, telling them to do whatever they wanted.

About 45 minutes later, Gabriella’s [hair was pinned up beautifully](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2Fab%2F71%2F3c%2Fab713cdced71f18f140eccfe9e9d9bc7--bun-hairstyles-for-long-hair-wedding-hair-styles-for-wedding-updo.jpg&t=OTExMDUwOTQyYWE1N2MxMmRjNjFhMTUzZWZhOGI5OTNiM2MwMWUxMSwydFI0WUJTWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AykkdFoTOR_TkdfvSbd33FA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmydragulesebastian.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F164637943879%2Fpretty-woman-ocho-bucky-barnes-x-ofc-au&m=1). She thanked them a million times before letting them out and then running to the bathroom to do her makeup. 7:45 was coming quick and she needed to be down at the lobby on time.

“This better be worth it,” she mumbled to herself.

Bucky entered the lobby and looked around. There was no sight of Gabriella. He frowned in annoyance. One of his pet peeves was not being on time. He crossed over to the front desk and was about to ask them to ring up the penthouse but Mr. Jarvis stopped him before he could say anything.  

“Good evening, Mr. Barnes.”

“If you’ll excuse me just a moment.”

“I have a message for you from Miss. Alvarez.”

“What?” Bucky was confused now.

“She asked me to tell you that she is waiting in the lounge for you.”

Bucky stared at him again and nodded. “Thank you.” He began to make his way towards the lounge when he heard Mr. Jarvis speak again.

“Very intriguing young woman Miss. Alvarez is.”

Bucky furrowed his brows, wondering what had transpired between Gabriella and Mr. Jarvis while he was gone. He eyed the older man who nodded at him and then went on his way to take care of his guests. Bucky got to the lounge and looked around. He didn’t see her anywhere. His eyes scanned the room once again and spotted a beautiful girl with perfectly styled hair in a gorgeous tight, black cocktail dress.

Bucky tried to hide his surprise as Gabriella got up from her seat and moved elegantly towards him with a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts.

“You’re late,” she teased.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized without a second thought.

“You’re forgiven.” she tilted her chin upward and waited expectantly. He got the signal and held out his arm for her to take. Once she did, they both smiled at each other and headed off to the dinner with the famous Steve Rogers.


	9. NUEVE

Bucky led Gabriella out to the car that was waiting for them out front. Before they walked out to the car, Gabriella stopped Bucky to thank Mr. Jarvis for everything he’d done for her so far. Bucky eyed the both of them suspiciously but grinned nonetheless. He was quite happy that someone in the hotel at least respected her.

“I’m nervous,” Gabriella let out a breath.

“You don’t have to be.” Bucky reached out to grab her hand that was on her lap.

Gabriella felt the butterflies in her stomach soar throughout her body as his thumb rubbed the back of her knuckles. She looked over at him and grinned. He smiled back and Gabriella looked away from him quickly to stop the blush that was starting to spread to her face.

They arrived to the restaurant, paparazzi’s flooding the entrance most likely waiting for Steve Rogers’ arrival. Bucky took her hand in his large one and pulled her into the restaurant, the hostess greeting them and Bucky giving Steve’s name for reservations. The young woman nodded and led the way to the back of the restaurant where the rest of the party was at.

Gabriella stopped Bucky midway to the table to let him know that she needed to use the restroom. He nodded, letting go of her hand and continuing to follow the hostess while Gabriella went and looking for the bathroom. Once inside the ladies room, she walked over to the fancy mirrors and looked at her reflection. She didn’t even know who she was looking at. She wasn’t G, Gab, or Gabi anymore. She was Gabriella Alvarez, the woman she always hoped and dreamed to be.

She smoothed out her dress and fixed the pieces of her hair that framed her face. She wiped at the corners of her lips to fix her lipstick before walking out and to the table that was at the back of the restaurant. Everyone’s eyes followed her as she made her way over; she was beautiful and moved so gracefully. She looked like a queen moving through a ballroom.

Gabriella spotted Bucky talking to the one and only, SteveRogers. Gabriella caught Steve’s eye and he stopped talking about a story on set. Bucky followed the line of his eyesight and clenched his jaw. She smiled at Bucky, her eyes only glued onto him.

Bucky stood up, always a gentleman, and pulled out a chair for her to sit on. He kissed her cheek sweetly before she sat down and then introduced her to Steve. She looked down at the table  and saw that the place-setting was not as fancy as she thought it would be. There were only two forks, one spoon and a knife. She let out a laugh and both men looked at her.

“What?”

“What’s so funny?” Steve asked.

“I just thought about something is all.” she lied.

“Well, now you gotta share the story.”

“Oh, I’d rather not.” Gabriella shook her head and looked over at Bucky, silently asking him to change the subject.

A waiter came with a bottle of expensive wine and three large glasses. He filled all three up one third of the way before taking orders. She didn’t know what to get so she went with what Bucky chose. He looked over and she shrugged. Gabriella listened to the two men talk about things she had no idea about, droning in and out of the conversation other than when Steve would try to include her.

The waiter came with three plates of salads and sat them down in front of each person. Gabriella proudly reached for her salad fork but then watch Steve grab the closest fork to his plate and begin to dig in. She looked over at Bucky to see which for he’d pick up but he was to interested in the conversation to actually eat yet. She panicked and set her fork down gently, waiting for them to start waiting first before she did.

“So, what’s the dirt on this Lang guy?” Steve questioned, an eyebrow raised.

You felt Bucky tense next to you. “I can’t talk about my client with you, Steve. You know that.”

A moment passed between the two men while Gabriella stared intently.  _Maybe I should have started eating_ , she thought to herself. The two men held their gaze and Gabriella coughed purposely. Steve looked over at her first.

“You okay? Do you need a glass of water?”

She didn’t even get the chance to answer before Steve waved over a waiter and asked them for a glass of water. She blushed and Bucky noticed, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I’m going to start eating my salad,” she pointed down at her plate. “If you two don’t mind.”

“Not at all!” Steve smiled. “Enjoy.”

She grabbed her salad fork again and began to stuff the greens into her mouth. She didn’t know that salad could taste so good. Steve picked up his fork and began to eat as well. Gabriella watched Bucky grab his own fork and once she realized he grabbed the salad fork she sighed in relief. Three waiters suddenly showed up with trays holding their food. Gabriella was suddenly overwhelmed with the sight of the waiters and their main course so she stuffed as much salad into her mouth before the waiter took her plate and stared at the fork in her hand.

“Sorry,” she covered her mouth while handing over her salad fork.

She looked down at the steak that was set in front of her and drooled slightly. She wasn’t sure if she’s ever had a steak that smelled and looked so delicious before.

“Have you never seen a steak before?” Steve laughed and Gabriella’s head shot up.

“Not one of this size! Holy shit!”

Bucky dropped his fork onto his plate, the metal clashing with ceramic plate. He cleared his throat and looked over at Gabriella. She felt his stare and slumped forward. She muttered another apology and Steve laughed again.

“I like you,” he nodded. “Where’d you find her, Barnes?”

Bucky choked on the piece of his steak and Gabriella pat his back hard. He took in a deep breath once it was lodged out of his throat. Bucky locked eyes with you quickly before making eye contact with Steve who was confused.

“What? She’s not a hooker is she?”

This time it was Gabriella’s turn to choke, except it wasn’t on her food – it was on her wine and she managed to spit it all over Steve’s crisp white dress shirt. Bucky’s eyes widened and he stood up from his chair, outstretching his hand with the napkin that had sat on his lap.

Steve looked down at his shirt with a gasp. Gabriella grimaced and began to apologize over and over again. Her and Bucky were flustered as hell and attracting unwanted attention from the other guests. Steve ripped the napkin out of Bucky’s hand and glared at Gabriella.

“We should… I-What can we do?” Bucky offered.

“We should probably cut this dinner short.” Steve spat.

Bucky stared at the blond man in front of him before looking down at Gabriella and putting her hand on her back, signaling her to stand up and get ready to go. She did as so and sent one more apologetic look over to Steve before Bucky gently pushed her away from the table and out to the entrance of the restaurant.

As soon as they were by themselves Gabriella spun on her heel to face Bucky. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to spit my wine all over Steve. Please don’t hurt me, James.”

Bucky’s eyes softened at her plead. “Hurt you? I wouldn’t-Why would I hurt you?”

“I don’t know,” her voice was soft. “I just… sometimes the men I’ve worked with before have hit me when I messed up.”

“Gabriella.” Bucky reached out to cup her face. “I would  _never_ put a hand on you – ever. You hear me?”

She looked into his blue eyes and realized he was telling the truth and only the truth. Bucky was a tough, distant guy but he would never ever put a hand on a woman. That just wasn’t how he was raised. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Gabriella’s forehead, closing his eyes and sighing slightly.

“I’m sorry.” He said and Gabriella felt her heart grow slowly but surely.

_Please don’t let me go._

* * *

They caught their ride back to the hotel and went straight up to the penthouse.  Gabriella took off her heels on the way up and earned a chuckle from Bucky himself. The elevator boy did not seem as amused but didn’t say anything. They got off and stumbled over to the door where Bucky opened it and let Gabriella walk in first.

She dropped her heels onto the floor and reached for the zipper of the dress. She groaned as she struggled to grab it but was saved by Bucky when he removed her hands and gripped the zipper with his slender fingers and pulled it down to where it stopped.

Gabriella’s skin was suddenly covered in goosebumps as Bucky’s breath fanned over her tanned skin. Bucky hadn’t pressured her into having sex with him yet and she quite liked that – not that she wouldn’t deny him if he asked.

He pressed his lips to her shoulder and breathed in her new perfume. It was the perfect mix of sweet and floral. It fit her perfectly. His lips trailed from her shoulder, to the crook of her neck, up to her jawline and then her ear.

“If you want me to stop, just say so.” he whispered lowly.

“Keep going,” she threw her head back giving him access to more of her neck. “ _Please_  keep going.”

And Bucky did go on until they couldn’t see straight and there was nothing more left to give.


	10. DIEZ

The next morning Gabriella was up first. She stretched comfortably underneath the soft white covers. She looked over to her left and grinned. Bucky was sound asleep, his eyelashes casting a soft shadow on his defined cheekbones and his lips plump. She replayed the moments of the night before in her head, smiling at the way Bucky’s fingers carefully skimmed her tan skin and how his lips marked almost every single spot on her body.

“Morning,” Bucky grumbled next to her and she jumped slightly.

“Hi,” Gabriella replied.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Like a baby,” she grinned. “Although, I am feeling pretty sore.”

Bucky snorted and turned onto his side to face the beautiful woman in his bed. She looked like an angel sent straight to him from heaven. Her beauty was unbelievable and he felt damn lucky to even have her for a week. But there was one thing that was bothering him from the night before. Every time he tried to kiss her, she would move her head away.

“Gabriella, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, babe.”

“Why… why did you not want to kiss me?”

Gabriella’s head tilted slightly and a corner of her lip raised. “Kissing is personal. This is strictly business. I don’t kiss my clients.”

Bucky hummed lowly. “Right… business…”

“I gotta pee.” she announced and threw her legs over the bed. She stood up and looked back at Bucky before sauntering over to the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

Gabriella and Bucky got ready for the rest of their day. Bucky didn’t have anything planned and neither did Gabriella, of course.

“So… do you know anything about Los Angeles?” she sat down on the desk that Bucky was working off of.

“Not really. Whenever I’m here, I’m working.”

“That’s no fun!” Gabriella frowned. “Want to come with me to my favorite place?”

Bucky stopped from typing away on his laptop and looked up at the brunette. She was smiling with so much hope, he couldn’t tell her no. “As long as we don’t get killed.”

“What kind of hooker do you think I am, Mr. Barnes?”

They headed out to the service car Bucky had the whole week and Gabriella leaned over the console to whisper to the driver where she wanted him to take them. The driver nodded and they were soon off to Gabriella’s favorite spot in the city of dreams. Bucky watched as they ascended to the top of a mountain. There were trees like he wouldn’t have ever imagined, especially in Los Angeles.  

“You’re not going to murder me, are you?” He looked over at Gabriella.

She laughed loudly and slapped his muscular thigh, “No!”

They finally got to the top of the hill and a building came into sight. It was the famous Griffith Observatory and Gabriella was dancing in her seat. Bucky wasn’t quite sure why it was her favorite place, but he was curious as to why.

The driver managed to find parking and Gabriella basically jumped out of the car and pulled Bucky out with her. She grabbed his hand the entire time as she lead the way to the entrance. He looked around and grinned. It was full of tourists but it was nice and peaceful.

They walked into the observatory and the first thing they stared at was the giant pendulum that was swinging back and forth. Gabriella soon pulled Bucky away to go and check out the rest of the observatory. They walked around slowly, not really being a hurry whatsoever.

Once they finished touring the entire facility, she took him outside to the ledge where the city could be viewed. Bucky froze in his place behind Gabriella and gasped. He hadn’t ever seen Los Angeles like this and it was breathtaking to say the least. Gabriella placed her elbows on the wall in front of her and her chin in her hands as she looked out.

“So… why is this your favorite place?” Bucky asked, leaning close to her ear and giving her goosebumps.

“I just feel at peace up here,” she replied. “It’s not busy like it is down there in the city. I feel like I can relax and just… breathe. I like to escape up here sometimes, especially to watch the sun go down – oh my god, it’s an experience everyone has to live!”

Bucky nodded, not saying anything back. He rested his chin on her shoulder and looked out again, taking in the peacefulness that being so far away from the city brought to both of them. Some time later Gabriella asked Bucky if he was ready to go. He nodded and they were off to the car again. Once they were in and buckled up, Bucky asked the driver to take them to Rodeo Drive again.

Gabriella looked over at Bucky with a confused look upon her face, “Why? Do you need more clothes?”

“Actually, you need another dress.”

* * *

They arrived to Rodeo Drive and walked over to an unfamiliar store – at least for Gabriella. All the employees knew Bucky already. She looked over at him and pouted, whispering to him that she didn’t understand why she needed another dress.

“Well, the ones you bought are great – don’t get me wrong – but they won’t fit where we’re going.”

She furrowed her brows together, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises, just so we’re clear.”

One of the employees came up to both of them and introduced themselves. Bucky quickly let them know that Gabriella needed a dress for an event in a couple of hours and they were fast to take them to a large dressing room. Bucky sat down on one of the chairs while they whisked Gabriella away. He took his phone out while he watched them bring in trails of dresses but a red one caught his eye.

“Excuse me?” He called out. One of the employees turned to look at him and smiled. “Make sure she tries on that red one. Please.”

A couple of phone calls later, Bucky was interrupted by one of the employees. She smiled brightly and let him know that he definitely wanted to see this. He nodded and cast his attention to the curtains that created the privacy barrier.

It was slowly opened and out came Gabriella in a red laced, ankle-length  ** _[cocktail dress](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F30%2Fd7%2F67%2F30d767cd17fe21a5aa47da67bcb6f5d9--red-lace-prom-dress-lace-bustier-outfit.jpg&t=YzEwOWQxYTIyMjQzMGFkZDVlNmY5ZDJmY2FiZWUyNDEyYzQ1ZTNmNyx2dk1xeEtyYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AykkdFoTOR_TkdfvSbd33FA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmydragulesebastian.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166243075088%2Fpretty-woman-diez-bucky-barnes-x-ofc-au&m=1) _** – the one that had caught Bucky’s eye from before. It looked stunning on her, the color of her skin looking tanner than before. She pouted and he tilted his head to the side.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is expensive,” she whined. “And I don’t have any shoes.”

“Then we’ll get you shoes.”

“Bucky! No! You’ve spent way too much money on me already. I will not let you spend another dime.”

“I do believe it’s my money so I think I have a say in this, don’t I?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and Bucky smirked. She turned on her heel and shut the curtain behind her, changing out of the dress and into her normal clothes. She handed the dress over to one of the employees before walking back out to find Bucky on the phone. Gabriella placed a hand on her hip as she waited for him to finish the call. Once he hung up and put his phone back in his pocket, she raised a fist and punched his shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?” Bucky hissed.

“Because you’re buying me a dress and shoes!”

“Trust me, that’s not the only thing I have planned.”

“Are you going to kill me in my expensive clothes?” She raised a brow.

“Not at all,” he smacked his lips. “Now come on, we have a plane to catch.”

After letting Bucky have it the whole way back to the hotel, in the lobby and elevator and in the hallway to the room. He finally put a hand over her mouth and chuckled.

“Relax, yeah? Go and take a shower or a bath, I don’t know, and then get ready.”

“Where are you taking me? And why do we have to take a fucking plane?”

“You’ll see,” Bucky ushered her to the bathroom. “Don’t take too long because I need to use the bathroom too.”

After Gabriella took a shower and Bucky jumped in behind her, she got ready for the night. Bucky readied himself in the bathroom while Gabriella touched up on her makeup before putting on her shoes.  Bucky walked out with his tie in hand, freezing at the sight of Gabriella in her gorgeousness.

“You okay?”

“Y-yeah… I…”

Gabriella let out a light chuckle and walked over to him, taking the tie out of his hand and feeling the material between her fingers. She hummed to herself before grabbing both ends and throwing it over his head and dangling it from his neck. She lifted the collar of his white button up and fixed the tie to sit nicely on his neck. Bucky watched her face as she furrowed her brow in concentration and her tongue slightly stuck out from between her lips as she tied it and knotted it perfectly at the base. She smoothed down the collar, moving her hands from his shoulders and then down his chest.

Bucky grabbed her wrists and Gabriella looked up at him, noticing that his pupils had dilated and his bottom lip was stuck in between his teeth. She patted his chest and walked away from him, swaying her hips back and forth for show. He groaned lowly before walking over to grab his shoes and slipping them on.

“Ready to go?” He looked down at his watch.

“Do I have a choice?”

Bucky clicked his tongue, “You’re right.”

They walked out of the room and hopped into the elevator to go down to the lobby where their driver was already waiting for them. Bucky opened the car door for her and hopped in right behind her. The drive to the private airport seemed quick but it was probably because Gabriella was nervous and excited.

They walked to the plane unconsciously holding hands like a real couple. The pilot greeted both of them and walked up the tiny stair case into the plane. Gabriella’s eyes widened at the sight. She had never been on a plane before only traveling by bus, car, and sometimes train. She sat down on one of the leather chairs and made herself comfortable. Gabriella eyed Bucky as he made his way over to the seat in front of her and fell into it, smiling at her sweetly.

“You gonna tell me where we’re going now?”

“I’ll give you a hint,” he squinted slightly. “We’re going to the city the never sleeps.”


End file.
